After sitting out the past two games, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will likely start on Tuesday against in Pittsburgh. (Kevin King/Winnipeg Sun)

PITTSBURGH — After sitting out the past two games, Connor Hellebuyck clearly expects to be back in net for the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins.

And, assuming head coach Paul Maurice agrees, he’ll be doing so with a new-found chip on his shoulder.

Hellebuyck was a little testy when he faced the media at the Penguins practice facility in Cranberry Township, Pa., on Monday afternoon, knowing full well that people are reading a lot into how the Jets goaltenders have been used through the first three games of the season.

“I’m playing, right? So, who cares about the past,” Hellebuyck said. “I’m looking forward to (Tuesday). I’m going to give my ‘A’ game and you know what, we’re going to have a good bounce back game.”

Hellebuyck, the Jets’ No. 1 goalie the past two seasons and a Vezina Trophy finalist two years ago, has played in only one of the Jets three games this season and it didn’t go well.

He allowed five goals on 31 shots and had to take the brunt of the blame for the Jets losing their season-opener in New York last Thursday.

He then watched as his backup, Laurent Brossoit, took the net for Friday’s win in New Jersey and Sunday’s loss to the New York Islanders, a move many people took to mean Hellebuyck’s No. 1 goaltender status was in question.

Just a few days into the season and already the seedlings of a goalie controversy are sprouting. That’s surely not the way Hellebuyck thought things would go just a year after signing a six-year, $37-million contract.

“A little bit surprised, but it doesn’t bother me,” Hellebuyck said when asked about not getting the call for Game 3 on Sunday. “I’m here whenever my name is called and I’m going to do the best that I possibly can. I like where my game is at and I’m eager to get back at it.”

The fact that Hellebuyck continually says he likes his game, even then things aren’t going well, speaks to his power of positive thinking. Either that, or he’s somewhat delusional.

But, at least outwardly, Hellebuyck seems to relish the idea of a competition with Brossoit for starts in the Jets goal.

“You know what, I think we are pushing each other a little more this season,” Hellebuyck said. “You can tell he’s a great goalie, but you know what? So am I. This is only going to make both of us better and in the long run it’s going to help build us a full team.”

Maurice wasn’t willing to say Monday whether Hellebuyck will be back in net against the Penguins, but it seems likely.

It’s not the easiest place to try to get your game back on track.

The Jets franchise, going back to its Atlanta days, has lost 18 straight games at PPG Paints Arena. Since the organization moved to Winnipeg in 2011, the Jets have lost all 11 games in Pittsburgh.

Most of the games have not even been close.

On Tuesday, the Penguins will be without star Evgeni Malkin and fellow centre Nick Bjugstad, but they still have the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang and are always a handful.

Hellebuyck is going to have to be sharp just to give his defensively-challenged team a chance to win. If he’s not, the dissatisfaction among the fan base will surely grow.

Still, Hellebuyck remains confident he can get the job done.

“Just locking some things down, controlling my rebounds, moving the puck well and making sure that I’m playing the puck well and making it easy on everyone in the defensive zone and being that rock back there,” he said. “I want the guys to trust me and I know that they do, so I want to make sure they’re not having a blind trust.”

Even though his words indicate he doesn’t believe he played that badly in New York, you can tell Hellebuyck is eager to make people forget about that game.

“I’m going to put this behind me and use it as motivation,” he said.

Morrissey fine, but Kulikov out

PITTSBURGH — There was good news and bad news for the Winnipeg Jets when they hit the ice on Monday.

Defenceman Josh Morrissey, who was injured during the pre-game warmup on Long Island on Sunday and missed the 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, was back at practice and didn’t look any worse for wear.

However, Dmitry Kulikov, who is the Jets most-experienced defenceman at the moment, was not on the ice and he won’t play on Tuesday as he is back in Winnipeg dealing with a personal matter.

Sami Niku was called up from the Manitoba Moose and was on his way to Pittsburgh on Monday. It’s quite possible Niku could line up on the top pairing with Morrissey on Tuesday.

Jets coach Paul Maurice said all is well with Morrissey, who missed the game Sunday after colliding with another player in the warmup. It sounds like he may have been being evaluated for a possible concussion.

“He’s passed everything, he feels good, strong, got through the day,” Maurice said. “He’s good. It was precautionary, but he wasn’t playing until we knew that he was fine.”

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